If looming deadlines and an ever-growing to-do list often make you feel stressed in the workplace, you're not alone. But career success doesn't automatically have to equate with stress. Taking practical steps to manage your workload and communicating with others can help to make busy days feel easier and minimise stress before it worsens or leads to burnout.
"The workplace is a common source of stress for many people. Between the amount of conscious time people spend working and the dependence on it for income, the workplace can be the key driver of stress," says Maria-Teresa Daher-Cusack, Organisational Psychologist at HA Wisdom Wellbeing.
© Getty Images"The Health and Safety Executive identifies stress as 'the adverse reaction people have to excessive pressures placed on them'. When members of senior leadership are dependent on their people, the demands can quickly increase, workflow can become clogged, and pressure quickly builds, leading to extenuating levels of stress."
How to manage stress
If you frequently find yourself feeling stressed in the workplace, Maria-Teresa recommends taking practical steps to manage it.
Time management
"If tasks are piling up and multiple deadlines are approaching at the same time, this can be very stressful and can cause your head to spin trying to keep up with it all. The best way to stay on top of tasks, whether they are long-term projects, daily tasks or a new priority, is effective time management. Laying out time each day to address different aspects of your workflow will help bring a sense of calm to the workplace and alleviate stress as you have clearer timelines and can keep you focused on the goal set for that dedicated block of time."
Regular breaks
"Whilst it may seem like solely focusing on your tasks for the full working day without a break will give you a maximum amount of time to complete your tasks, this is only going to be even more detrimental to your productivity levels as you become more stressed. Taking regular breaks is just as essential as focusing on your work. Simply taking a short break to go for a walk, catch up with team members or go for a coffee helps you switch gears, and you can return to any tasks at hand with a more mindful approach and a new perspective."
Compartmentalise tasks
© Getty Images/iStockphoto"Compartmentalising tasks is also helpful to effectively manage your workload, especially for long-term projects with lots of actions to complete. Viewing each task in the grand scope of things can quickly cause stress as you lose perspective and a grasp of what you need to focus on in the moment. Breaking things up into smaller tasks and viewing them as such, separate from the larger task at hand, makes them feel more manageable."
Workplace support and openness
"In almost any working environment, you will have someone with you to help overcome an issue. Whether it be speaking to a line manager about how you are feeling or even delegating tasks so you can focus on another task that takes priority, it is vital that you are open and understand that the people around you will support you if they are able to. Being open and admitting your workload is too much to handle by a certain date opens the door to greater support."
Communicate
"Whether it is professionally or socially, communicating and bonding with colleagues is vital to relieving stress at work. You can air concerns about any stress you’re experiencing; you can bounce ideas off of each other and innovate to make work more efficient, or you can simply take your mind off any stresses with social interactions. Avoiding isolation can be central to alleviating stress and enhancing productivity levels."
What is burnout?
Burnout can develop when workplace stress becomes chronic. According to Michelle Robinson Hayes, MBACP, mental health trainer and preventative services lead at Vita Health Group, the World Health Organisation officially recognised burnout in its International Classification of Diseases (ICD) as an "occupational phenomenon."
She told HELLO!: "In the ICD, burnout is defined as a 'syndrome conceptualised as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed'. It is 'characterised by three dimensions: feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion; increased mental distance from one's job, or feelings of negativism or cynicism related to one's job; and reduced professional efficacy."
